Latino Leadership Council

Tag Archives: culture

We recently finished celebrating Cinco de Mayo throughout the country. Sadly, I’d venture to say that most people, including our Latino community in the United States, don’t really know what Cinco de Mayo is all about. Many mistakenly think it’s Mexican Independence Day. But looking past the misinformation and excuses to party, Cinco de Mayo celebrations still serve an important purpose in our communities. … Continue Reading →

In the United States, we often hear about the 12 Days of Christmas and the celebrations and gifts that surround that tradition. But the 12 Days of Christmas have nothing on the more than month-long holiday celebrations traditionally held by Latino communities in this country and abroad. So it comes as no surprise that around this time of year, I get a lot of questions from my non-Latino friends and associates, particularly those who work with the Latino community, about “what’s a posada?” or “what’s this thing they’re celebrating in January?” I know, there’s a lot of culture, tradition and history around Latino holidays, so I thought I would take a few moments to give a quick guide to celebrating Christmas Latino style. … Continue Reading →

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in a hospital setting, I am reminded every day of the important role promotores, or community health workers, play in the health and recovery of patients in our community. Promotores are invaluable partners, educators and collaborators; unfortunately many physicians, nurses, case managers, social workers, therapists and other health professionals are not aware of the expertise promotores bring, thus don’t know how to incorporate their services into the patients’ care. … Continue Reading →

Visitors walking into First Elementary School in Lincoln on a Wednesday night will see a group of 25 to 30 Latinas chatting and enthusiastically making jewelry or knitting. It’s not an arts and crafts club—it is way more than that. The Lincoln ladies are part of El Rincon de las Comadres, a group of Latinas working together to share tradition and folklore as well as knowledge and marketable skills. … Continue Reading →

Should we as a community be called Latino or Hispanic? I often get this question, primarily from individuals who want to make sure they’re not offending anybody and want to use the proper term. But is there really a proper term? Or at least one that accurately portrays who we are? … Continue Reading →

Working with youth, one of the things I come across over and over is the discrepancy in the way we treat our sons and our daughters. From birth, our children are set on paths that are defined more by their gender than by their individual capabilities, ambition or interests. … Continue Reading →